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Paving the path for a brighter future

With high levels of all types of trafficking in persons (TIP), the Philippines is the global epicenter of the online sexual exploitation of children (OSEC) and a source, transit, and destination country for TIP.

Facilitated by the confluence of poverty, widespread access to the Internet, decreased the price of devices, and a culture of silence and deference to elders OSEC is particularly challenging to identify, treat and prosecute.

That’s why World Hope, along with the Salvation Army, has implemented the Protecting At-Risk Children Vulnerable to Exploitation (PAVE) project as a solution, paving the way to a brighter future for child victims of OSEC.

The PAVE project is working to develop and strengthen systems for comprehensive care of survivors of OSEC in the Philippines by supporting social workers and other stakeholders to identify OSEC survivors; strengthen comprehensive service delivery for OSEC survivors, and increase much-needed shelter provisions.

It is also working with leaders of churches and training them to identify OSEC survivors in need of care and to prevent the exploitation within their churches.

Project Goals

To develop and strengthen systems for comprehensive care of survivors of OSEC (Online Sexual Exploitation of Children) in the National Capital Region and Central Visayas of the Philippines.

Support social workers and other stakeholders to identify OSEC survivors

Strengthen comprehensive service delivery for up to 144 child OSEC survivors with a focus on mental health care and legal services

social workers identified, recruited, and trained to-date

survivors of OSEC cared for with therapeutic interventions to-date

History of the Project

The PAVE project is a part of the Child Protection Compact Partnership—a partnership between the U.S. Government and the Government of The Philippines—to combat cybercrime, which has horrific consequences for children. This compact is only the second of its kind in the world in which the U.S. government has been involved, and World Hope is working on the project in partnership with The Salvation Army through a grant from the U.S. Department of State Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons.

In the fall of 2017, World Hope’s anti-trafficking leadership participated in kick-off events with the Child Protection Compact Partnership’s directors and NGO partners. Later that year, WHI social workers and other social workers serving survivors of online exploitation participated in an in-depth training on trauma-informed psychosocial processing.

This was the beginning of many trainings the PAVE project offers social workers and counselors and WHI is excited that more practitioners will be equipped to care for survivors of online sexual exploitation as a result of the trainings they receive through this project.

Also in 2017, WHI developed a prevention curriculum for pastors and congregants on OSEC. This training provides people with the tools they need in order to protect children from OSEC, recognize OSEC in their communities, and actually be equipped to make appropriate referrals.

“Exploitation like human trafficking is terrible because not only is it enslavement, but it also preys on the victim’s hopes for the future and steals their dreams, their trust, and their opportunity,” stated Saidu. “Now there is a message from the Government of Sierra Leone that this is not acceptable.”

In a recent breakthrough for trafficking-in-persons (TIP) incidents tied to labor migration, law enforcement officers attached to a Sierra Leone border check point identified and apprehended a major trafficking ring that involved 10 migrants…

“I started my first mushroom house in January 2017. I decided to invest in growing mushroom. It was just like taking a big step for my family. Our family was so worried we might end up losing our money if mushroom production is not good. However, my mushroom production has been running well…”

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